Dockery Plantation
Dockery Farms Historic District | |
Nearest city | Dockery, Mississippi |
---|---|
Coordinates | 33°43′44″N 90°36′46″W / 33.72889°N 90.61278°W |
Area | 6 acres (2.4 ha) |
Built | 1930 |
NRHP reference No. | 06000250[1] |
Added to NRHP | March 31, 2006 |
Dockery Plantation was a 25,600-acre (104 km2)
History
The
Dockery's land was relatively remote, but was opened up for development by a new branch of the
Dockery Plantation eventually supported over 2,000 workers, who were paid in the plantation's own coins. In addition to the railroad terminal, it had its own
In 1936, the plantation was inherited by Joe Rice Dockery (1906–1982). With agricultural mechanisation and the employment attractions of the larger cities further north, the plantation settlements gradually disappeared, although some of the historic buildings remain. The farm later diversified to produce corn, rice and soybeans. Later members of the Dockery family have established a foundation to fund research into the Delta blues.[3][7]
The property was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2006. Today the site hosts a small number of private tours, lectures, and events in partnership with the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz, Delta State University, and other academic and cultural institutions. Dockery is still a working farm, producing soybeans, rice, and corn (but not cotton.) There is a private house located behind the Service Station, which is used by members of the Dockery family and their relatives as a "vacation" home, although it is not anyone's primary residence.
Historical marker
A marker designating Dockery Plantation as a site on the Mississippi Blues Trail is an acknowledgment of the important contribution of the plantation to the development of the blues in Mississippi.[8]
The marker was placed in Cleveland, Mississippi. Governor Haley Barbour stated
I’m pleased to include Dockery Plantation on the Mississippi Blues Trail. Apart from the town’s unique historical legacy, which includes printing its own money, Dockery was home to famed bluesman Charley Patton and played a significant role in the development of the Delta blues.[9]
References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ ISBN 0-14-006223-8.
- ^ a b "Dockery Farms and the Birth of the Blues" (PDF). Jazzinamerica.org. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
- ^ "Pea Vine Blues". Earlyblues.com. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
- ^ "Articles: The Origins of the Mississippi Delta Blues – Historical Text Archive". Historicaltextarchive.com. Archived from the original on 8 October 2007. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
- ^ [ Archived 2007-09-28 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Home - Dockery Farms Foundation". Dockeryfarms.org. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
- ^ "Mississippi Blues Commission – Blues Trail". Msbluestrail.org. Retrieved May 29, 2008.
- ^ "Dockery Plantation to be honored with Blues Trail Marker" (PDF). Mississippi Development Authority. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 12, 2008. Retrieved May 29, 2008.